RegattaCentral

Rules and RegistrationInformation

Registration: All registrations before the deadline will be done this year through RegattaCentral at www.regattacentral.com.

Registration closes at MIDNIGHT, Friday night, May 28.  Entries may be accepted after that date with a late fee only if space permits and at the discretion of the regatta registrar.  Events not having at least two entries from at least two different clubs will be canceled at this time.  No additional heats will be added after this date.

**PLEASE NOTE**Masters event entries must have  BIRTHDATE information for ALL rowers in order to be considered 'on-time' and to guarantee a lane and avoid a late fee. Please provide birth dates for all masters rowers with the entry.

USRowing Registered Regatta; 2010 Rules of Rowing apply

Rule 2-311, all broken equipment in the starting area will be given 5 minutes to repair with an immediate restart following the repair
Rule 3-105, Bow ball; every boat must have a bow ball 
Rule 3-109, Foot gear Release; the heel shall not raise more than 3 inches
Rule 4-107, A female rower may not compete in events for men, and a male rower may not compete in events for women.
Rule 5-203, all clubs must be US Rowing organizational members.  Single entries, if unaffiliated, must be full-privilege individual members of USRowing.
A competitor shall represent only one club

Hot-Seating:All competitors are expected at the start line 5minutes before the scheduled start. Hot-Seating of rowers/coxswains/boats is permitted, however rowers/coxswains/boats should not be registered for heats scheduled within 30 minutes of each other.Race starts will NOT be delayed for late arrivals.

Waivers: All rowers will need to sign a waiver of liability prior to competing.  Waiver submission is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to be done online through Regatta Central: https://www.regattacentral.com/athletes/. Paper waivers can be submitted on the morning of the race at the registration.

Scratch Policy: An entry to an event may be withdrawn up until theregistration deadline, midnight Friday night, May 28), with a full refund ofthe fees.  After May 22nd, no refund will be given. Substitutionsamong the same size boat, however, will be allowed if space permits, i.e.,there will be no penalty for moving an entry among same-sized events (provideda lane is available).

Regatta/Event/Heat Cancellation Policy: In the event that it is necessary to cancel either the entire regatta or a portion of the regatta due to weather or hazardous river conditions, no refunds will be given. The decision to cancel the Regatta, event, or heat will be based on the recommendation of the Chief Referee, but is the final call of the Regatta Director.

If scratches on the day of the regatta result in an event having only one competitor, that event will be scratched and the entry fee refunded for the remaining entry.

Refunds will be made within 30days of the date of the regatta.

Race Fees

1x       $20.00

1-        No Charge

2x/2-   $30.00

4+/4x  $45.00      

8+       $85.00

Adaptive Events:  No Charge

Rower Qualifications

While Stonewall Regatta XV is sponsored by DC Strokes Rowing Club, the nation's first Gay and Lesbian rowing club, participation is open to all rowers,regardless of sexual orientation. 

Novice:  The Stonewall Regatta defines a novice rower as one who is within 1 year of his/her first regatta. For example, if a rower rowed his/her first ever race at last year's Stonewall Regatta, he/she would be ineligible to row again as a novice at Stonewall Regatta XVII.  ALL rowers competing in a novice event must be novice, although the coxswain need not be.   In addition, an experienced sweep rower learning to scull may compete as a novice sculler (and vice versa), assuming it is within the first competitive year as noted above.  Novice races will NOT be age handicapped.

Masters:  Masters events are age restricted.  A Masters crew shall be comprised exclusively of Masters rowers, coxswain excepted.  The age of a rower is whatever age he/she will attain by December 31, 2010.  For a crew, the age is determined by averaging the ages of all rowers in the boat (excluding the coxswain), and rounding down to the highest integer (e.g., a crew with an average age of34.7is counted as having an average age of 34).  If possible, Masters heats will be set by US Rowing age class, so that handicapping is not necessary.  If it is necessary to combine age classes, we will handicap the event in accordance with US Rowing procedures, which can be found in the USRowing manual 'Rules of Rowing.'

Mixed crews:  must be composed of an equal number of men and women.

AA Masters:  Rowers aged 21-26are eligible to compete in Masters events, but there will not be any dedicated AA category events.

Open Category Events:  By popular demand, when possible, the Registrar will group non-masters, or open events  to match seeded boats from opposing clubs.  Please enter your open event boat line-ups according to their rank if your team has multiple entries. 

Race Day Registration

Please have a club representative check-in at the registration table upon arrival on Race Day.

Coaches/Coxswains Meeting

There will be a mandatory meeting for Coaches, Coxswains, and scullers in front of the boathouse at 8:00a.m (subject to change).  At this time, attendance will be taken, regatta protocols and safety procedures will be reviewed, and last minute scratches/changes will be noted to finalize the schedule, if necessary.

Awards

All races/heats are considered finals.  Only first-place medals will be awarded for all races.  For races with multiple heats, each heat will receive its own medal.  Medals will be distributed after the event once its results are made official, and will be available at the registration/results desk. 

Race Course

The regatta will be held on the Potomac.  All OPEN events are 2000m.  Masters, Novice, Mixed events are 1000 meters.   The start of the 1000m course is just uptream of the Key Bridge.  The start of the 2000m course is just upstream of the Three Sisters rocky islands.  The finish line is in front of the Washington Harbor waterfront promenade.The course, which is not buoyed, has five lanes.  Lane number spotting points for coxswains and scullers will be hung on the boathouse building and distance buoys will be placed at 250, 500,and 750 meter points.  A course map will be available at the regatta (and on this site when it gets finalized). 

Equipment

Bow numbers will be provided by the ROC and will be given to the coxswain or sculler by the dock master at the time of launching.  Scullers are requested to ensure their shells have bow clips to accommodate numbers.  All shells must have a bow ball.  Shoe ties will be checked.

Boat Rental

Racing shells may be available for rental for out of town crews or anyone in need of one.  Any crew requiring shell rental should direct inquiries to Patrick Johnson at [email protected]

Boat Storage/Parking

Trailers will be accommodated in the Thompson's lot.  Metered parking will be available but very limited at Thompson's.  Participants and spectators are encouraged to use Metro (Foggy Bottom Station - Blue and Orange lines) if possible or bicycle or cab.  If your plans require you to bring a trailer the day before the regatta, please let us know to expect you so we can arrange for overnight parking.  Thompson's Boat Center, DC Strokes Rowing Club and the Regatta Organizing Committee cannot be held responsible for mishaps.  You must provide your own slings/racks and tie down straps.

Concessions

As in previous years, food, snacks, and drinks will be available for purchase. There will also be a Stonewall Regatta XVII t-shirt and other DCStrokes merchandise.

Contacts

Questions regarding registration and the status of your entries may be directed to the Registrar, Joe Henderson, by email at [email protected]